Etymology
1. 1530, perhaps onomatopoeic (cf.
bump); another theory derives it from words in Gallo-Romance dialects of southwestern France (cf.
jumba "to rock, to balance, swing,"
yumpa "to rock"), picked up during English occupation in Hundred Years War. Superseded native
leap, bound, and
spring in most senses. Meaning "to attack" is from 1789; that of "to do the sex act with" is from 1638. The noun is attested from 1552. Meaning "jazz music with a strong beat" first recorded 1937, in Count Basie's
"One O'Clock Jump." To
jump to a conclusion is from 1704.
Jumpy "nervous" is from 1879.
Jump suit "one-piece coverall modeled on those worn by paratroopers and skydivers" is from 1948.
Jumping-rope is from 1805.
Jump in a lake "go away and stop being a pest" attested from 1912.
2. From Middle English jumpen (“to walk quickly, run, jump”), probably of Middle Low German or North Germanic origin, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *gumpōną ~ *gumbōną (“to hop, skip, bounce”), an iterative verb. The OED suggests an imitative origin. Related to jumble. In the sense “to propel oneself” it displaced leap partially and spring largely.
3. Cognates
4. Cognate with German Low German jumpen (“to jump”), archaic German gumpen (“to jump, hop, bounce”), dialectal German gampen (“to hop”), Alemannic German gumpe (“to leap, jump”), Walser dialect kumpu, Old Norse gopta (“to jump; make jump”) Danish gumpe (“to jolt”), Swedish gumpa (“to jump”), Danish gimpe (“to move up and down”), Middle English jumpren, jumbren (“to mix, jumble”). See: German, old spelling '
gumpen', German, old spelling '
gampen', Alemannic German '
gumpe', Danish '
gumpe', Swedish '
gumpa', Danish '
gimpe'.
Verbs referencing "jump"
English
jaunt, Alemannic German
gumpe, Sranan
dyompo, German, Pennsylvania
tschumpe, German, old spelling
jumpen.